I searched for somewhere to ask this but couldn't find any threads remotely linked so I have had to start a new thread just to ask this question. Please feel free moderators too delete after a while.

My question...is this real? Obviously it looks like a fake

I thought it was fake until I read...With Richard Branson on the ground to talk about how he wants to wrest Concorde away from the spoilsports at BA intent on retiring her, the A340 provided a stunning display belying its huge size... and the banner on the rear fuselage said it all!

Branson would have been aware of that, so was able to have a few digs at BA, come up with a media and people friendly plan of keeping them in service, fully aware that it would never happen, and that there was no risk of him having to take on a hugely expensive aircraft that he would never have been able to operate profitably in the then current economic situation.

The picture is true, though that sticker was slapped on there for a bit of free publicity.
Sir Richard never misses a chance to poke fun at BA.

Quoting Legoguy (Reply 11):Damn BA! I would love to have seen the Concordes kept in service, or at least flying condition! They would have looked OKish in the Virgin Atlantic colours!

That offer from SRB was almost certainly made with the knowledge that BA wouldn't sell them to him, so, why not make some free publicity, to make him look good, there were too many things stacked against VS operating Concorde.

Quoting Legoguy (Reply 14):Even to have them in service for even a year or two would have been nice

Don't get me wrong, I would love to see Concorde fly again, but keeping one in airworthy service, so it can be flown once or twice a year isn't feasible.
And, once it's kept in service for a year or 2, people will still be as reluctant to let her go.

BA/BOAC paid £125million for the original fleet of 5, not the £1 an aircraft myth thats been propagating.

Yes, and add onto that, the maintince costs, the fuel, flight/cabin crew wadges (who were higher paid than non Concorde crew) and the cost to get them back into service after the crash.
I think someone predicted that BA had spent more than £1billion on the Concorde fleet in total.

Quoting Wrighbrothers (Reply 18):Yes, and add onto that, the maintince costs, the fuel, flight/cabin crew wadges (who were higher paid than non Concorde crew) and the cost to get them back into service after the crash.
I think someone predicted that BA had spent more than £1billion on the Concorde fleet in total.

Yup, Concorde operated with a profit with only 50% passenger counts, with a total profit of around £1.7billion against operating costs of £1billion for BA at retirement.

Branson would have been aware of that, so was able to have a few digs at BA, come up with a media and people friendly plan of keeping them in service, fully aware that it would never happen, and that there was no risk of him having to take on a hugely expensive aircraft that he would never have been able to operate profitably in the then current economic situation.

Branson knew that BA wouldnt sell him Concorde, as Airbus wouldn't let Virgin operate them. So what he did was to (twice) offer a ludicrous sum of money (£1 then £1m per Concorde) knowing full well BA would say no, as not only could VS not operate them, but even if they could why would BA sell their aircraft to their main rival and the supersonic customers that go with it? Branson KNEW this, and once again, Joe Public thinks the Beard is the good guy, and BA is the bad guy.

Quoting Wrighbrothers (Reply 18):That offer from SRB was almost certainly made with the knowledge that BA wouldn't sell them to him, so, why not make some free publicity, to make him look good, there were too many things stacked against VS operating Concorde.

Quite.

Quoting Wrighbrothers (Reply 18):Don't get me wrong, I would love to see Concorde fly again, but keeping one in airworthy service, so it can be flown once or twice a year isn't feasible.
And, once it's kept in service for a year or 2, people will still be as reluctant to let her go.

No-one wants to see Concorde fly more than I do (don't even try to challenge that one!!!), I even joined Save Concorde Group in an effort to try and get something pheasible going. However, the fact remains that as things stand, Concorde will not fly again. Airbus don't want it, AF don't want it, and as long as those two don't want it, neither do BA.

The fact that people are so gullible as to believe the Beard could "Get it up" is what annoys me. BA tried their hardest to keep them flying, and if it hadn't been for BA, Concorde would have retired a lot earlier in 2003. In fact, if it wasn't for BA, Concorde could have gone as early as the 1980s. People would do well to remember that.

PS, I might add I've never flown with either airline, but it looks like I'm flying with VS in September to Sydney, I'll probably write a trip report too....

Quoting RichardPrice (Reply 19):Yup, Concorde operated with a profit with only 50% passenger counts, with a total profit of around £1.7billion against operating costs of £1billion for BA at retirement.

Was this 0.7 billion pounds not worth keeping it in service?

Quoting Wrighbrothers (Reply 18):That offer from SRB was almost certainly made with the knowledge that BA wouldn't sell them to him, so, why not make some free publicity, to make him look good, there were too many things stacked against VS operating Concorde.

Good old SRB!

Can you say 'Beer Can' without sounding like a Jamaican saying 'Bacon'?

Quoting Legoguy (Reply 22):Quoting RichardPrice (Reply 19):
Yup, Concorde operated with a profit with only 50% passenger counts, with a total profit of around £1.7billion against operating costs of £1billion for BA at retirement.

Was this 0.7 billion pounds not worth keeping it in service?

Quoting RichardPrice (Reply 23):No, spares had run out, all the aircraft were coming up to major checks, operating costs were increasing, passenger numbers decreasing and Air France wanted out.

Not to mention the fact that Airbus had stated they would no longer support Concorde, therefore BA couldn't hav kept them in service any longer than they did. BA fully intended to fly Concorde until about 2006/2007, so they would just about be finishing now anyway, and Branson would have probably tried to pull the same stunt, and probably we would all be having these threads again and again when it has been discussed to death.

I came, I saw, I Concorde! RIP Michael Jackson

25 BlueFlyer
: And BA wasn't smart/courageous/bold (take your pick) enough to tell Branson to buy the Concorde for a cool million a piece and see how long VS could

26 EGTESkyGod
: Admittedly, it would've been funny to see Branson eat his words, however not at Concorde's expense. Besides, why would BA sell a retired Concorde to

27 74472
: For all you misguided fools I will tell you that initially BOAC didnt want the Concorde fleet because it was seen as a money pit. Hence the token pri

28 BlueFlyer
: I'm surprised to read that BA sold their Concorde to museums. I would have thought they would have donated the aircraft and taken a tax write-off inst